Opinion

• Opinion

  You Don’t Have To Be a Zionist To Know UNESCO’s Temple Mount Resolution Is Insane

  As a Haredi Jew with a non-Zionist perspective — that is to say, I do not consider the State of Israel to be the Third Jewish Commonwealth — I feel no compulsion to defend any position or move of any Israeli government. I am not a nationalist. I believe that only when the Messiah arrives…

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why the Fight Over Israeli Settlements Is Reaching a Boiling Point

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is caught in a tightening pincer of opposing pressures as his government faces a court-ordered December 25 deadline to dismantle the West Bank’s oldest and largest illegal settlement outpost. The main combatants include Israel’s Supreme Court, the settler movement and the Obama administration. Caught in the middle are Netanyahu and…

  By J.J. Goldberg Oct 16, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Zionists Have Many Jewish Spaces To Call Home. Our Synagogue Needn’t Be One of Them.

  As Tzedek Chicago’s rabbinical intern, I was interested in Mira Sucharov’s recent Forward opinion piece, “My Problem With the Idea of a “Non-Zionist” Synagogue,” which explores how the issue of Israel impacts congregational life. It’s an important subject, and Sucharov raises some important questions that American Jewry should address. I was disappointed that her article…

  By Jay M. Stanton Oct 14, 2016 | 3 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson American Jews were played — now what?

  

• Rob Eshman I have the answer to Jon Stewart’s toughest question about Israel

  

• Nora Berman ‘Eddington’ is full of conspiracy theories but it’s not about Jews. Or is it?

  

• Dan Perry Recognizing a Palestinian state is a great way to doom Palestinians

  

• Emily Tamkin Is starvation in Gaza really Israel’s fault? The facts are clear

  

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  Opinion

  How Jacob Neusner Made Jewish Studies Mainstream

  (JTA) — Jacob Neusner, the famed scholar and almost mythically prolific author who died Oct. 8 at age 84, almost singlehandedly created the modern study of Judaism, and in doing so he revolutionized our understanding of the history of Judaism and our perception of what Judaism can mean to Jews today. His career, which spanned…

  By Alan J. Avery-Peck Oct 13, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why I Spent Yom Kippur Serving Up Pork Chops in Brooklyn

  I spent Yom Kippur this year dipping pork chops in olive oil, preparing lunch for the clients of St. John’s Bread and Life, an amazing anti-poverty organization in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. It marked a significant transformation from my upbringing: I grew up in one of the few religious households in a Conservative synagogue in Hamilton, Ontario,…

  By Mordy Walfish Oct 13, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  We Knew Gender Would Be An Issue In This Election. But Did It Have To Play Out Like This?

  Ever since it became clear that Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic nominee for president, it was inevitable that gender would be the backdrop to this election campaign, the thrumming undercurrent, shaped by the thrill many felt in seeing a woman finally break through — and the unease with which others greeted the possibility of…

  By Jane Eisner Oct 13, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The Super Important November 8 Vote That Nobody’s Talking About

  On November 8, all eyes are on the presidential election. To many of us it feels like the most consequential choice, with the starkest consequences, of any in our lifetime. As the CEO of a non-profit, I have no official view on our choice, other than the hope that Americans vote wisely. But there is…

  By Nigel Savage Oct 13, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  This Sukkot, Ditch Your Etrog and Lulav in Favor of Apples and Maple Leaves

  No Jewish holiday is more beloved among American and Israeli environmentalists than Sukkot. With its agricultural roots and its dictum to live close to the earth, Sukkot is the sine qua non of Jewish environmentalism. Camp out under the stars in what is essentially a lean-to, eat all your meals in it, invite friends over…

  By Jordie Gerson Oct 12, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Tunes for Atonement: Let’s Turn the Tables, Demand Some Answers

  If you’re a longtime reader, you may have seen my holiday web concerts in past years. The idea has been to walk us through the practice and spirit of the holy day via YouTube, finding surprising renditions of the old texts or modern songs that capture the same spirit. This year I’m trying something a…

  By J.J. Goldberg Oct 11, 2016 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  This Jewish Woman Is the New Face of the ‘Never Trump’ Republicans

  As we’ve watched the rise of Donald Trump with abject horror over the past year, us “Never Trump” Republicans have stuck together because we’ve had to. We’ve helped each other withstand the onslaught of pressure to vote for what many Republicans perceive to be the lesser of two evils. One of the political friends I’ve…

  By Bethany Mandel Oct 11, 2016 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Ahead of Yom Kippur, How Can You Repair Relationships With African-American Jews?

  Ever since the release of “A Movement for Black Lives Platform,” African-American Jews have found ourselves in the middle of a horrid battle of narratives, often asked to pass a litmus test and choose which identity dominates: being Jewish or being black. We can no more choose between being black and Jewish than those of…

  By Tamara Fish Oct 11, 2016 | 4 min read